we always seem to agree on various cuts to make, whether on the domestic discretionary programs like education or highways or on the entitlement programs, but we never seem to agree on revenues. i think one of the major stumbling blocks which i've pointed out people have bought on to the theory as part of deficit reduction we ought to lower the top rate on the highest income people. you lose a ton of revenue there and you can't make it up unless you squeeze the middle class. so if you're going to start out by saying the first thing we do is lower the rate from say 35 to 28 as simpson-bowles does or 25 as ryan does it's virtually impossible do deficit reduction without hurting the middle class. my suggestion intended to break this deadlock, this gridlock we've had on getting a budget deal for the last year and a half, let's get off this thing that the first thing we do is say we're going to lower the top rate. in the presidential campaign, the president's campaigning on letting the rate on the highest income people go back to where it was in the clinton years, that makes sense. now some republi